Ulrich Raised More Money For Roadracing World Action Fund With Sunday Rides On Two-Seat Racebike At Auto Club Speedway

AMA Pro racer Chris Ulrich raised $2125 for the Roadracing World Action Fund this past weekend by giving rides on his two-seat Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superstock racebike around the infield road course at Auto Club Speedway, in Fontana, California.

Ulrich's two-seat racebike is normally used as a media outreach/educational tool to introduce local mainstream media representatives to the sport of motorcycle road racing at AMA Superbike race events, but each year for the last four years on Thanksgiving weekend Ulrich and track day provider Fastrack Riders have made the rides available to members of the general public in exchange for a donation to the Fund.

This past weekend, November 29-30, Ulrich gave rides to 33 individuals, ranging from people who have never been on a motorcycle before to current racers, from 225-pound men to petite females, from repeat two-seater customers to a television/movie star just starting his racing career. He turned more than 100 two-up laps over the weekend.

"It's always fun to share the sensation of speed you can only get by riding a motorcycle on the racetrack with everyday people who otherwise couldn't do that," said Ulrich. "Some are there for the thrill ride. Some learned a few tips on how to make their own motorcycle go faster around the track. It seemed like everybody had a good time and enjoyed the experience, and best of all we raised some money to buy some more soft barriers and protect racers and track day riders from getting injured."

The fundraising event also included a silent auction of donated memorabilia, merchandise and track days, but the total amount raised from that auction was not available at post time.

The Roadracing World Action Fund is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that promotes motorcycle racing safety and education to prevent racetrack injuries. Since its inception in 2001, the Fund has raised over $632,000, supplied soft barriers to numerous racing organizations and racetracks, and prevented more injuries than is possible to accurately count. For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation to the fund, go to ~actionfund.roadracingworld.com/~ .

An interesting side note: Ulrich's two-seat racebike wore one of Fastrack Riders' electronic scoring transponders during the rides, and with 115-pound racer Melissa Paris on the back Ulrich recorded a new personal best two-seater lap time around Auto Club Speedway, a 1:36.2. For comparison, Ulrich qualified eighth with a 1:26.9 for the AMA Superstock race in April at Auto Club Speedway, and a lap of 1:33.39 or lower was necessary to make that grid.